I groaned, bending.
They quickly helped me into the shower stall. It was just in time. I went down on my hands and knees, vomiting hot liquor and stomach acid, vile and sweet, and when that was all gone, I still heaved. The hot water stung my sensitive skin. My temples pounded, and my mouth was sour and dry. I wanted to tip my head back and catch some water, but I didn’t have the strength in my neck. My stomach was still churning. I heaved several more times and then started crying.
I looked up enough to see Kaidan come in. The sisters shook their heads at him and tried to push him back, but he swept past them and opened the shower door. They watched him warily for a moment as he unbuttoned his shirt, taking it off and throwing it across the sink.
Everything hurt. I moaned.
Kaidan sat outside of the shower stall on the marble floor and put an arm around my body, pulling my back up against him and holding me. I clung to his arm in front of me, resting my head on it as my body shuddered under the stream of hot water.
When most of the alcohol had burned from my body, and my mind was shifting back into the alertness of reality, I felt very naked and ashamed. I turned slightly and looked at Kaidan behind me. Our eyes met and he nodded. He pulled away and left the bathroom, wiping his soaked arm on the way out.
Marna came over with a towel for me and we turned off the shower. I was still shaky as I stood, and my stomach was not right. Physically, I felt weak. Mentally, I was more scared than I’d ever been. I started shivering with my hair dripping onto the floor. Marna took one of the fluffy white robes and wrapped it around me. It was huge. I tried to towel dry my hair. I could hardly sit up straight. Worst timing ever for a hangover.
I tried to think of everything that had happened, but there were many blank spots in my memory. Had I done or said anything that could incriminate us? I remembered dancing. When exactly had the other Neph shown up? I flashed to a memory of Kaidan kissing me on the couch, and I was horrified to recall how I’d baited him. I looked up at Marna and Ginger. They had saved us from ourselves. I could have ruined everything.
Marna sat me down at the vanity and took a brush from her bag, working it through my wet hair. Ginger filled a glass with water and set it in front of me. I emptied it all and gave her a small smile, which she did not return. I grabbed her hand and she stilled.
I’m sorry, I signed to her.
She surprised me by grinning. You can be mean, she signed. It was nice to see.
My face flushed and I shook my head. Ginger patted my shoulder with her free hand, then pulled the other hand from my grip to pick up the blow-dryer.
The hot air felt good on my head. My body shook every few seconds with tiny tremors. I was so tired.
“Order us some food, Kaidan,” Ginger shouted at the door. “I think we’ve all worked up an appetite.” My stomach growled at the mention of food, and I realized that I was completely famished.
I took Marna’s wrist and looked at her watch. It was eleven o’clock. We had somewhere between one and four hours to prepare for hell on earth.
What was I going to do? I felt completely unprepared. How could I ready myself for a spiritual battle under these circumstances? What would Patti do?
Wait. That was it. I knew exactly what she would do.
I jumped from the chair and ran into the suite, leaving the twins with hairbrush and blow-dryer midair. I could feel all of their eyes on me in my oversized robe as I flung open each dresser drawer. All empty. Oh no. I turned and saw the night-stand. I ran to it, passing a confused Blake, and opened the tiny drawer.
There it was. The Holy Bible.
I took it out like a precious gem. It probably hadn’t been opened once in all its years in this room. It was a funny thing, wasn’t it?—the notion of keeping Bibles in hotel rooms. I wondered how the tradition had started and why it had been kept going. Maybe superstition. Maybe for me and this very moment.
I looked up at everyone staring at me. The room was wrapped in nervous tension.
Watch for spirits, I signed.
The others nodded their agreement. I climbed up to the middle of the big bed and placed the book on the terrycloth robe over my lap. Very slowly, very quietly, I opened to the back and found the Dictionary/Concordance. It was hard to concentrate with everyone on edge and the television blaring, but I forced myself to focus. Kopano walked away from the group, going to sit at the table in the living room area with his eyes closed in mediation.